MUSCAT, Oman — The 89th UFI World Congress, held at the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre (OCEC) in Muscat from 14-17 November, attracted around 400 participants from some 50 countries and regions for a series of presentations, brainstorming sessions and networking opportunities as the industry continues to strategise for a post-pandemic world.
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, director of Marvel Studios’ “Ms. Marvel” series and two-time Academy Award winner, set the tone with her inspiring fight to tell the stories of the marginalized and voiceless through film. Her own tenacity to succeed culminated in a standing ovation when she said, “If a door hasn’t opened for you, you haven’t pushed it hard enough.”
Trade Fair Manager (TSE) was present throughout the conference, as well as at the UFI World Assembly held the afternoon before the sessions began. Chaired by UFI President for 2022, Monica Lee-Müller, Managing Director of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, the General Assembly reviewed and presented the association’s initiatives to support UFI members, including its focus on diversity.
“As a global association, we need the full participation of talented and committed women and men from different cultures and backgrounds to move our industry forward,” Lee-Müller said. “I personally think there is work to be done. But I see change coming: if you look at the demographics of the participants at this year’s Exhibition Management School, more than half of the participants were women.”
Lee-Müller also highlighted that of this year’s six UFI Next Generation Leadership Fellows, four are women, and all six come from a diverse geographic mix: Asia, Africa, Central America, Europe and the United States. These fellows provided hope for the future of the industry during their panel, “A New Talent Narrative – Next Generation Leaders.” The session focused on their determination to grow and thrive in the industry. UFI also recognized women in the industry with the “Women in Leadership” session.
Another focus of the World Congress was UFI’s role as a founding member of the Net Zero Carbon Events initiative, with a presentation by Alexander Alles, Executive Director of the Joint Meetings Industry Council, on the recent launch of the initiative’s roadmap at COP27 earlier this month.
Pratibha Thaker, who leads the Economic Intelligence Unit’s analysis and forecasting for the Middle East and Africa markets, shared her insights on the global market forecast, noting expected growth in most Middle Eastern countries despite economic headwinds in the coming year and a forecast that tourist numbers are expected to continue to grow in 2023 by 30% compared to this year.
Another key session was the Global Exhibitions Sector Board Meeting, which brought together representatives from across the industry. Participants included Anne Lafere, CEO of Belgian trade show company Easyfairs, which launched 20 new events last year. Emerald’s CFO David Doft spoke about the booming acquisition market, while Kevin Donohue, RX Global’s HR Director, UK and Corporate, gave advice on talent retention.
The session “The Future of Serendipity is Insight” highlighted how data and insights from events could create serendipity through intelligent planning.
Deep Dives
The final day of training and presentations featured a series of brainstorming sessions, where attendees broke into tables to deepen discussion and exchange ideas on key challenges facing the industry. A session on digital innovation covered seven topics: data innovation, subscription models, data for sales, marketing automation, meeting program facilitation, blockchain and Web3, and the metaverse.
Another sharing and learning session focused on “customer phenomena,” reflecting on the difference between exhibition marketing today and before the pandemic. The consensus in the room was that the pandemic was over—a declaration expected from the World Health Organization in March 2023.
Other conference highlights included presentations from event technology companies like Ungerboeck and Info Salons. Taiwan, which recently reopened, declared it was back in full swing for trade shows, and Hong Kong showcased its Airport City megaproject that will boost its AsiaWorld-Expo exhibition site.
The conference concluded with the official handover of the torch from Lee-Müller to the new UFI President, Michael Duck, Executive Vice President of Business Development for Informa Markets Asia.
“As an industry, we have a lot to deal with with the many issues that affect us today,” Duck told TSE. “I hope that UFI will be seen as a beacon and also a place where people in our industry feel safe and comfortable to discuss and exchange their opinions.”
Networking opportunities included a welcome reception at one of the host hotels, the Kempinski Hotel Muscat; a conference dinner at the spectacular Shangri-La Barr Al Jissah Resort & Spa, sponsored by the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism of the Sultanate of Oman; an evening at the Sultan Qaboos Stadium for a pre-World Cup football match between Oman and Germany; and a half-day tour of Muscat’s highlights, with stops at the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque and Mutrah Souq, among others.
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority has provided a preview of next year’s UFI World Congress destination: This is the first time the UFI World Congress will be held in North America. In 2024, the annual UFI World Congress gathering will be held in Cologne, Germany, at the new Confex convention center at Koelnmesse.
Contact Michael Duck at michael.duck@informa.com
